The present invention relates to automatic cleaning methods and apparatus, and more particularly to apparatuses used for cleaning and disinfecting ductwork.
Bacteriae, molds, viruses, as well as various allergens have long been present in the damp, unclean environments within heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. In recent years, medical specialists have learned that sickness may be caused and spread, and allergic reactions provoked, by these agents present in HVAC systems. These potentially harmful agents may be circulated by the HVAC system throughout an entire building.
In recent years, designers of HVAC systems have taken steps to inhibit the growth and spread of chemical and biological agents through their systems. These steps include filtering the air intakes of the systems, and chlorinating or otherwise disinfecting the water used by and condensed from HVAC systems. While these approaches aid in preventing chemical and biological agents and allergens from entering HVAC systems, they do not effectively remove the biological agents and allergens already lining the ductwork of existing HVAC systems. Using existing methods, removing the contaminants might necessitate the removal of the ductwork. This is prohibitively costly. Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus capable of cleaning and decontaminating the existing ductwork of HVAC systems, and to do so without having to remove or substantially modify such ductwork.